


The Prince and The Horse

by yukiscorpio



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2014-04-17
Packaged: 2018-01-19 19:15:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1480966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukiscorpio/pseuds/yukiscorpio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time...</p><p>A crazy, crazy story featuring Seigaku!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sillyfic for an exchange on Livejournal. Originally published on LJ on March 2007.
> 
> This story was really funny at the time, though I don't know if it still is, so many years later...

Once upon a time-

Oh just shuddup and listen. This is a good story, I promise.

Once upon a time there were two princes and a princess who lived in a beautiful kingdom. The king and the queen loved the princess and the younger prince, and showered them with gifts of the finest robes, the best horses, and they had loads of servants. But the elder prince - his name was Syusuke by the way - was unloved. It was said that it was because he was too pretty and intelligent for his own good, but if you asked me, I'd say they thought he was really camp - and he was, good heavens. Camp was actually uncool once upon a time.

Anyway, the elder prince didn't live the life of luxury. He had to wear the clothes of the commoner and only had a limping horse as his only friend. He had to do everything himself, too, because his one servant (who happened to become his best friend) was banished from the kingdom a long time ago for daring to talk back at the king.

Now, you see, life went on like this for a long time because the elder prince didn't really mind. His brother and sister were good to him; they spent a lot of time hanging out in the bedroom when everyone else was asleep, sharing food and other nice things all the time. And who cared about their parents? Parents only ever got so little screen time in most anime series.

This went on, until it was almost Syusuke's 18th birthday. One day, Yuuta (that's the little brother) overheard his parents talking about something really bloody awful. He and Yumiko (the sister) went to Syusuke that night to talk about it.

"Syusuke, my dear aniki," said Yuuta, "you must leave the kingdom at once. I fear for your life, for our father has hatched a plan to have you killed!"

"Why do you say such words, Yuuta?" Syusuke asked, and so Yuuta explained that their dad didn't want to give his kingdom to his eldest son when he dies, so he's going to get Syusuke killed with poison the night before his 18th birthday. This way, the king wouldn't have to announce Syusuke as his heir.

They talked about this and decided Syusuke must leave if he wanted to live (haha). But since their dad might just send people after him to make sure he died, they came up with a clever plan. Syusuke and Yuuta started fighting. They fought and fought and fought until the king realised this was the perfect opportunity for him to get rid of Syusuke. So, he summoned for Yuuta. Yuuta said everything was Syusuke's fault and he wished his brother would just get the hell out of his sight. There was something else, though:

"Much as I detest him, Father, I do not wish my future crown to be tainted with his blood." Yuuta said. The plan was perfect: the king decided to just banish Syusuke forever, because he wanted Yuuta to be happy.

Just before Syusuke left, Yuuta and Yumiko went to say bye to him. It was all very teary and sad. Yumiko offered him one of her horses, but Syusuke didn't want it.

"I wish to take my own horse, lovely sister. He has been my companion for many years and no one will have use for him when I am gone, for he cannot run," Syusuke said. "Please do not be sad; for a long time I have wished to be able to travel and look for Tezuka, my loyal friend whom our father had banished. I shall use this chance to find him."

And so Syusuke the Camp Prince became just Syusuke the Camp, and he left the kingdom with his limping horse. Aww.

 

 

Would you like to hear some more? Okay then.

Syusuke and the horse walked for a few days, sleeping in the wild and eating random things from the trees, until they finally found a village. They stopped to drink at the river.

"I am sorry that you have met such predicament," Syusuke said to the horse, "we are now at a village. You should stay here and find a new master, for I intend to look for my friend Tezuka, and know not where my journey will take me."

And then, something really scary happened. The horse talked. "I do not wish for a new master," it said.

After getting over the initial shock, Syusuke was quite impressed, but he didn't want the horse to follow him anyway. "But you should remain here. A good man will see your qualities despite your leg and you will live well." He said, then went into the village. He tried giving the horse away but it kept misbehaving every time, until finally Syusuke gave up.

"If you are to travel with me, I should give you a name," said the prince, who finally understood the horse was determined to stay with him, "I shall call you Teduka, for I have another friend as faithful as you, called Tezuka, but I do not wish for the two of you to be confused when I find him."

Yes, I know Teduka isn't the most creative of names. I'm only telling the story as it is.

After that, Syusuke started asking around, but nobody could remember ever seeing Tezuka.

"But what could have happened to him?" asked the prince, sitting in the stables one night. "This is the first village outside of the kingdom; Tezuka must have passed through here."

"This will be a fruitless search," the horse said. "You should give up looking for this Tezuka and find a place to live comfortably."

Syusuke replied, "ah, but I cannot do that, for I miss him very much. He was thrown out of the kingdom because he dared to defend me against my father. He was my only true friend; all the others deserted me when they realised my father and mother's dislike for me. So afraid were they, that the blood drained from their faces and they trembled as though their very bones would shatter."

Now, even though Teduka the horse revealed that he could talk, he didn't talk often (which was a blessing coz, you know, horse's breath). But he lay down beside Syusuke and said a bit more. "New friends can be made. Tezuka may have changed, and you will not be able to recognise him even if you meet him."

(Yes yes, I know you already know where Tezuka is, but that's not the point. The story gets better!)

Syusuke was obviously upset, though. "But that way, I cannot find happiness. Let us go to the next village. The next one, too, if we do not find him there."

"It is said that there is something called Tennis, and through it one can find happiness," Teduka offered, "will you not try it once?"

Something sparked in the prince's mind, and he was suddenly really happy. "Tennis!" He practically shouted, "but of course! Tezuka once told me about Tennis, that he had a great love for it, and it was the most enjoyable thing in his life!"

Syusuke thanked the horse, and decided they would travel to Tezuka's homeland, Seigaku, where Tennis was done (whatever Tennis was. Fuji only knew it had something to do with balls, grip and a lot of exertion. He liked the sound of that, especially since Tezuka said it was the most enjoyable thing EVAR.) They'd definitely be able to find Tezuka there. The horse tried telling Syusuke that Seigaku was really very far away and Syusuke would do better to settle here and earn a living, but Syusuke didn't listen, since all he cared about was Tezuka not Teduka.

All together now: awwwwwww.

So anyway, the next day, they set off for Seigaku.

"Seigaku is a land of legends; it is said that it is in the easternmost corner of the world, but no one who tried to find it ever returned," Syusuke told the horse, "Tezuka said that is his home, but he never spoke of this claim to others, and I have never revealed it myself. I regret now for not asking farther the way to Seigaku. You and I must search for the way."

Suddenly, a man with headfangs rushed over to them.

"Good morrow to you," said headfangs with a lowered voice, "I have, quite accidentally, overheard that you wish to travel to Seigaku to meet one Tezuka. This boy I know well, for we have had a long-standing friendship."

Naturally, Syusuke felt suspicious, so he asked headfangs for more details.

"Well, Tezuka was the most comely boy I have ever set eyes upon, and wise beyond his years."

"All this is true, but why are you here?"

Headfangs told a long story: "Long ago, Tezuka left Seigaku to save a prince most charming and clever and camp from his wicked and het father and mother. Before his secret departure, he said I was not to worry for him and that he would return with the prince, and Seigaku would welcome him with open arms. I waited and waited, until the winds told me the most unfortunate fate had befallen on my friend, and I came a-searching. Everywhere I visited there was not even a shadow of Tezuka. When I came to this village, I had run out of gold and could not return, for the way to Seigaku is perilous. As I wandered, I found a few stray chicks, and with them I began to work and earn gold, and have become an egg merchant. I am now prepared to go back to Seigaku and run matters in Tezuka's stead, for I believe he will one day return. Will you not travel with me?"

After listening to this, Syusuke was sort of moved. "This man knows true friendship, and his belief in Tezuka runs deep," he thought to himself, and agreed that they should travel together if the merchant led the way. The merchant said his name was Oishi, and Syusuke told Oishi his name was Fuji (he didn't want headfangs to call him by his given name) and introduced Teduka too.

Oishi told his new friend Fuji, in a brainlessly friendly sort of manner, that he seemed quite camp, which was excellent because his best friend was camp, too. Fuji told Oishi he looked like an egg, which was a shame because he hated eggs. He decided he would crack that egghead open once they got to Seigaku, but that's not relevant to this story really.

And so this was how Fuji, Teduka and Oishi started to travel eastwards together to Seigaku.

Well, that's it for today; I think this is a good place to stop. Should I tell you the rest tomorrow? y/n?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll recognise the song they're going to sing here...

Okay, where were we? Has headfangs joined the group yet?

We'll start from there then.

Fuji, Teduka and Oishi walked and walked and walked for days, and finally got to the next village. There, they saw a carpenter making carts.

"Pray buy one," Teduka whispered so that Oishi couldn't hear, "so that I can carry you and Oishi upon it."

Fuji didn't listen to him though, because Teduka's got a bad leg already. Just like before, he rented a stable instead. Oishi buggered off for the night to see a friend.

"A bed of straws is not befitting of a prince," said the horse. "There are rooms with feather beds at the inn."

Again, Fuji didn't listen, and lay down beside Teduka. "Seigaku is far away," he said, smiling, "and my gold must last our journey."

Erm, let me clarify a point first. They'd been sleeping like that ever since the beginning of the journey, but as far as I know nothing happened between them. No mucking around with horses. Fuji =/= Daniel Radcliffe.

Anyway. The horse was still trying to disuade Fuji. He said, "I hear that Tennis is also done in a great many cities; both Hyoutei and Rikkaidai are nearer and the journeys more merry."

But then Fuji was like, "you hear much, O Teduka, but not my heart, which desires to see Tezuka and Tezuka's Tennis. Hyoutei and Rikkaidai mean naught to me."

Next day, when they met up with Oishi again, he had a friend tagging along.

"My name is Eiji," said the friend, "and I beg you to let me go with you. Oishi and I met when he first passed through here and we became the greatest of friends, but at that time he had a task and I dared not hamper him. This I regretted very much, and everyday since, I wished I had gone with him. Now the chance is upon me and I will not part with him again. So I beg you to take me with you."

Fuji looked into Eiji's eyes and realised they were the same - no, not camp... well yes, they were both camp, but I'm not referring to that. Fuji thought, when he found Tezuka he wouldn't want to be split from him again as well. So he said okay, and now there were four of them travelling together.

So they walked some more, through hot days and cold nights, until they came to a mountain.

Fuji asked Oishi, "Do we go over, or go around?"

"Over, for we should not enter the forest; it is cursed and haunted by ghosts," headfangs said. And Eiji got all scared and stuff.

But Fuji said, "Ghosts I fear not, but what of the path in the mountain?"

"Thither is no path, nor place to rest; but it takes only three days' climb," Oishi explained.

"This will not do. Teduka cannot climb. We will go through the forest," Fuji decided.

Yes, Fuji was becoming nicer and nicer to Teduka. Isn't that sweet?

So off they went into the forest. It was dark and spooky and shadows moved out of the corners of their eyes. To keep themselves cheerful, they sang Tezuka's favourite song.

Mai-ia-hii  
Mai-ia-huu  
Mai-ia-hoo  
Mai-ia-ha-ha 


Oishi sang, and Eiji continued,

Alo? Salut! Sunt eu, un haiduc  
şi te rog iubirea mea primeşte, fericirea.  
Alo? Alo! Sunt eu, Picasso.  
Ţi-am dat beep şi sunt voinic  
dar să ştii nu-ţi cer nimic. 


Then Fuji sang,

Vrei să pleci dar  
nu mă, nu mă iei,  
nu mă, nu mă iei,  
nu mă, nu mă, nu mă iei.  
Chipul tău şi  
dragostea din tei  
mi-amintesc de ochii tăi. 


Singing really helped. It made them bounce on their feet and it seemed like the song scared the shadows away too. But after a while they stopped anyway because Fuji got thirsty after all the singing.

All of a sudden, the forest came alive again. Eiji started to scream. The shadows moved, and then a man stepped out.

"Come! I have a drink that will satisfy your thirst," said the man, holding a flask.

Fuji looked at the flask and said, "oh, I have never in my life seen such colour!" And he drank it even as Teduka reared his head and whinnied, because that drink was disgusting in colour and smell.

Now, this man was Inui, a weirdo who spent his lifetime making weird drinks. He prowled the forests for ingredients so often that people started to say the forest was haunted. Nobody who had drunk his drinks ever survived.

But Fuji smiled happily and wiped his lips. "That was delicious! I recommend it."

This really realy shocked Inui. He was all OMG and stuff. "Allow me to prepare more drinks for you," Inui begged.

"Though the offer is tempting, we are journeying to Seigaku." Fuji said, but Inui didn't care and said he'd go with them.

That night, Teduka said to Fuji, "that was most careless of you; the drink could have been poison."

"You are just like Tezuka," Fuji said, "I am sorry to have made you worry so. I shall take more care henceforth." He combed Teduka's hair and they lay down to sleep.

Okay, so Fuji /was/ slowly becoming a camp Daniel Radcliffe.

 

 

It took them really really long to get through the forest, and then to the next village. When they got there, they were so tired that they rented some rooms and slept for two days. When Fuji finally woke up, he got worried about Teduka. Teduka wasn't in the stables, though, so he asked the innkeep's son what happened to his horse.

"Young master," said the innkeep's son, "I have taken your horse to the fields so that he could feed. He seemed most hungry indeed." Fuji was relieved. He stole an apple from somewhere and went to look for Teduka.

"I am sorry to have neglected you; this will not happen again," said Fuji, as he fed Teduka the apple. "I shall get someone to look at your leg; I know it is bringing you pain."

I guess you already know what Teduka is like. All humble and "I'm not important" and stuff: "Grass fills my stomach well," Teduka replied, "and my leg is the same as always, so you need not spend gold on me. I am but a horse."

But Fuji smiled and said, "I know no horse that can speak. You are my most important companion."

See? I told you this story gets better.

That night, the group ate and talked about Tezuka. That was when Oishi explained to them that Tezuka was the prince of Seigaku and the next king. That really shocked Fuji, who thought Tezuka was only a peasant.

Headfangs told a long story again: "I know naught of the faraway prince, only that Tezuka's love for him was great. He said he had only laid eyes on the prince once, when he was invited to the castle for a banquet. He saw the prince alone in the yard, but the prince was not permitted to join the feast. Tezuka spoke to the prince's siblings, who told him of their brother's tragic fate. Requests for the faraway prince's company were rejected again and again, for the evil king and queen feared what the prince would tell others, so Tezuka decided to rescue the prince with his own hands. 'I will rescue him from his prison soon as I can,' he said to me."

Fuji got really upset after listening to this. He had no idea Tezuka loved him so much. He was probably thinking if he'd known, they could have had some really hot smex when Tezuka was still in the castle. But er, irrelevant to the story. Moving on.

There was this guy who went up to them when they were talking. He said, rather sincerely, "Excuse me. I have heard what you said and feel very much inspired by this Tezuka you speak of. Could you tell me more about him?"

And then some other guy stood up and said, "Ah! It is you again, and that was what I was about to say!"

The two guys started to fight. Inui asked the innkeep's son what was up with those two, and he was told that they were called Kaidou and Momo. They were travelling alone, but for some reason kept bumping into each other on the road and they hated each other's guts. They'd been fighting ever since they arrived at the inn.

Oishi, being the friendly one, told Kaidou and Momo more about Tezuka. Momo said he could find Tezuka before Kaidou, and Kaidou was like yeah right, he was definitely going to find Tezuka first. So they decided whether Fuji liked it or not, they were coming along to Seigaku, too.

The day after that, when they were just about to set off, that innkeep's son went to find Fuji. His name was Taka.

Taka said, "long have I wished to go to the land of legends; I hear that at Seigaku the most wondrous ingredients can be found, and I have a burning passion for cooking. Would you not let me go with you, too? I shall cause you no trouble."

Since the group had already grown so large, Fuji was like yeah, whatever, he didn't care anymore. The only thing that mattered to him was getting to Seigaku, which was still really bloody far away.

 

 

So they kept going. The further they went the more desert-like their surroundings became. The wind was really strong and they were all getting sunburnt. Oishi said this was the only way to go, though. That was why he said Seigaku wasn't easy to get to.

But even though they knew they were getting there, everyone started complaining.

Inui was like, "I have no ingredients for making drinks."

Taka was like, "there is little food left."

And Eiji was all, "I must rest; I can go no farther."

Everyone else complained too; you get the gist. So finally Fuji said they were going to take a break.

Teduka started talking when no one else was listening. "When we set off again, ride on me to preserve your strength."

No riding jokes please... anyway, Fuji didn't want to ride Teduka. "That I will not do. Your limp has grown worse and I fear for you."

"It is only a leg. I have four."

"That makes me smile, and I thank you," said Fuji, and he massaged Teduka's leg to make it feel better, "but you know me well, Teduka. I would not do such a thing."

At that moment, they heard footsteps from behind and saw a small boy when they turned around.

"Is this the way to Seigaku?" the boy asked.

"Yes," Oishi answered.

"That is good news. I asked a girl some days ago and she told me the wrong way and I wasted much time," said the boy.

Fuji got curious and asked, "Why do you seek Seigaku?"

"I come from the faraway land of America. I am going to Seigaku to challenge one Tezuka at Tennis, for there are no men worthy of being my opponent in my homeland."

When Fuji heard this, he smiled. "Your body is small, but your spirit is admirable." (ie the boy reminded him of Tezuka when they were younger.) "We are journeying to Seigaku also, would you join us? My name is Fuji."

The boy shrugged. "I am Echizen. I will join you if you so wish; it is of little difference to me."

Fuji welcomed Echizen into the group. He would kill Echizen later - there was no way he was going to let this boy do Tennis with Tezuka. (Remember, Tennis was about playing with balls, and lots of exertion.) It was better to keep Echizen close by so that he could keep an eye on him.

 

 

After walking some more, they got really hungry. Momo said, "it may be that we will have to eat the horse, if we do not reach Seigaku soon. Starving, we cannot continue, oh we cannot!"

And then Inui sang along, "the chance is high that we will meet our end, if that is not done," and Kaidou nodded too.

Fuji got rather angry, "I will not allow any harm to come to him."

"Mada mada dane, I can walk for one-hundred more days," Echizen looked at the horse, "and anyway, it does not look palatable."

"What they say is true," Teduka said to Fuji when no one could hear, "death is upon you all; there is no more food and Seigaku is not within sight. As such, you should eat my flesh."

But Fuji said, "speak no more, for I will not listen. My love for Tezuka is great, but my love for you also. I shall not allow you to sacrifice for me like Tezuka had."

After that, Fuji stayed close to Teduka, so that he could protect Teduka if anyone wanted to kill him for food. Echizen walked with them, and spoke to Teduka as if he already knew the horse could talk. Fuji listened to a lot of Tennis-speak, like southpaw, state of self-actualisation, split step and stuff like that, and decided he would definitely learn Tennis so that he could to impress Tezuka when they met. He also confirmed that Echizen must be killed because he knew so much about Tennis.

But as he thought about Tennis with Tezuka, he forgot to watch out for the hungry group. They had Teduka surrounded and they had knives ready.

"Beware!" Echizen yelled.

"You will take my life before you harm him!" Fuji screamed and threw himself in front of Teduka.

Suddenly, there was this really, really bright light, and some force pushed everyone to the ground. A weird guy appeared, wearing a headband, sunglasses and a jersey draped over his shoulders. He went to Teduka and said, "you have kept your promise, so I will reverse my magic. Become the pillar of Seigaku!"

The man flicked his magic wand (some sort of round net mounted on a stick) and there was this shower of sparkles. After that, Teduka slowly transformed into, you know already, Tezuka. A rather naked Tezuka.

And so they finally found out that when Tezuka was banished years ago, the king got some people to beat him up very badly. As Tezuka was dying, he prayed for strength so that he could protect his beloved prince. That was when this strange man, Yamato, appeared and offered to save Tezuka's life and transform him into a horse. He had to keep this a secret, though, or he'd die. Yamato said Tezuka could change back if he ever found someone willing to die for him. So Tezuka was transformed into a horse and he wandered around the castle until Fuji found him and took him in.

Wasn't that sweet? Tezuka makes me wibble, he does.

Fuji was so happy he almost cried. "That I now understand," said Fuji, "but why is Tezuka in naught but his skin?"

Tezuka got really embarrassed, the poor guy. "Nude I have been for all my years as a beast."

"O Heaven! If only I had known sooner!" Fuji said. I don't know why he said that or what he would have done if he had known sooner. Let's not go there.

And so Fuji was reunited with Tezuka. He was so happy that he decided he would let everyone live, even Echizen, as long as Echizen did Tennis with someone else. Yamato suggested that the Emperor of Rikkaidai was very good at Tennis too, and he showed Echizen the way to Rikkaidai. Everyone else just buggered off because they found something more interesting to do... or someone more interesting. You know what I mean.

Finally, Fuji and Tezuka went to Seigaku, where Fuji learned and did Tennis everyday with Tezuka, and lived happily ever after.

The end!


End file.
